St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-23
CRITIC AGAINST CROWD.
What Col. Donan Thinks of a Play
Which Has Created Furor.
Strong Material and Situations, but
Poorly Worked Out.

l have seen the much talked-of 'fgreat
American play" and the multitude and
differ III opinion regarding it. | would not
give much for the opinion of the multitude
when it does not agree with my own. The
multitude. the mob, is often wrong
Human history is little but a record of its
blunders and its crimes. 1t was the multi
tude that crucified the Son of God between
two thieves, three days after it had vel
coined him with 'hosannaS' and StreWn
the streets of Jerusalem with palm branches
and clOaks for His jackaSS to walk on. The
multitude laughed to Scorn the idea that
the earth was round, and that it revolved
about the sun. The multitude Scoffed at
the discovery of the circulation of the blood,
and fought against vaccination as a SuggeS-
ton of the devil. The multitude, fifty
years ago, howled its derision of the man
who talked OF sending messages by cleo
tricity; and, thirty years ago. in our own
country. it pooh-poohed the possibility of
war over slavery. The multitude, the
mob, elects such fellows as Tim Camp
bell, Frank Lawler, Sharon. Hearst and
Fair, to congress-, and labels them states
men," The multitude. the mob sets up
such scoundrels and madmen as O'Donovan
Rosa. Most and Henry George as leaders
and follows them into every deviltry their
insanity may conceive. Through all the
ages the multitude. the mob, has hooted
the man who independently thought for
himself in politics, as fanatic; has derided
the discoverer in sciences or the inventor in
mecha MICS. as a lunatic; and has crucified
the reformer in religion. as a heretic l
would rather be right thousand miles
from the nearest neighbor than wrong with
million mobocrats at my heels. Either l
am right and the crowd wrong, or the crowd
is right and l am wrong in regard to this
play of Gillettes.
l saw Held by the Enemy at the
Madison Square theater, New York, dur
ing its debut week. Everybody was talk
ing of it. The papers puffed it by the col
umn. morning and evening. weekdays and
Sundays. The theater was jammed every
night and the crowds applauded it with
wild enthusiasm. L alone hissed. [ Kissed
the more earnestly to make up for my few
ness. l was minority of one against a
majority of thousands. | Kissed heartily.
l saw it again here last Thursday night.
The Grand opera house was packed with
people. In the whole immense asSembage
| did not see single really pretty face. 1t
was a wide Sahara Of well-dreSSed ugliness
or commonplaceness. The boxes over
flowed with rich costumes and hOmely
women. The very galleries of the gods
were filled with ardent patriots, who had
fioundered through all the horrors of a
typical Chicago night of rain, sleet, snow.
mud. Slush and miscellaneous and assorted
atmospheric infamies, to witness the per-
formance of ''the coming American drama
come at last" From orchestra chairs and
procenium boxes to the last row of seats in
the skylight circle. the vast audience went
into duckfits of rapture. The roar of clap
ping hands and pounding heels and canes
was like the pedal thunder of a stampeding
herd of butfalos or Texas steers
1t family recalled the madhouse
scene in this same city. when
jim Blaine was nominated, and the Repub-
lican party asphyXiated, two years and a
half ago. EverysSentiment was cheered to
the echo, recall after recall followed every
about the stars. Amid all the laudatory
uproar l alone hissed. l had paid full price
for my ticket and had right to hiss l eX-
ercised the right vigorously and judiciOusly.
That l was right and the crowd all
wrong, l think you will admit when the
thing comes to st. Paul, as l believe il does
during the season. a more inetfabe lot of
trash was never put On any first class stage.
1t is war play" and its author says he
fiatters himself it can be presented both
North and South without exciting any of
the old sectional feeling. Perhaps so. and
perhaps not so-which is good deal the
more perhapsly. Here is the cast of char
acterS:
Maj. H. B. Stamburg, Commanding United
States Forces. Charles ". Stokes
Col. Charles Prescott, Seventh Massachu-
setts Volunteers ....-. George r. Parks
Lieut.. Gordon Hayne, an Officer Of the Con-
federate Army. j. E. Kellerd
Brigade Surgeon Fielding, of the Second
DIVISION. ..--..--.- NJ. mcdowell
Assistant Surgeon Hathaway. Staff Surgeon
of the Military Hospital. ......W. J. Doyle
Thomas Henry Bean, Special for
Leslie's. Charles S. Dickson
Uncle Rufus, One of the Faith
1ul.. Harry Woods on
casat1Sol capt @Ocdfora Mspherson Second Division
Hines Cavalry John D. W ]. snHTle5 sniIiyan
Corporal Springer, on the Special
6udru.. >. >. BOWn
Hinton, Orderly Sergeant. Jean H. Williams
Lieut.. Massen, Gen. Stamburgs Aid.
Seutr! !.''.---....-.... ID. .. farreI
Euphemia McCreery. Maiden Lady of the
oout" >. -. .....'..--.'-.. mrs. faffeh
Rachel McCreery Her Niaces